Induced responses to herbivory and increased plant performance
Plant resistance to herbivores was induced in a field experiment to evaluate the consequences of induced responses for subsequent herbivory and plant fitness. Induction early in the season resulted in halving of herbivory by chewing herbivores and a reduction in the abundance of phloem-feeding aphids when compared with controls. A correlate of lifetime plant fitness, seed mass, was enhanced by over 60 percent for individuals that were induced.
Agrawal
AA
Department of Entomology, and Center for Population Biology, One Shields Avenue, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8584, USA. E-mail: aaagrawal@ucdavis.edu.